Public Advocate president Eugene Delgaudio said in response to the Senate Majority taking away the filibuster and instituting the nuclear option to not allow filibusters on judicial nominees, "Public Advocate emphatically warned Mitch McConnell and all Senators to speak up last week, they refused to speak one word and now their reward, as a minority, is permanent silence."

For months leading up to a vote last week I asked Senators to speak out and they refused to say one word in opposition to the new Gay Bill of Rights as it passed the Senate. Had they simply given opposition and fought it as it was considered the public, even the news media, would have some idea there is a Senate in session.

For months the conservative opposition in the Senate ignored millions of Public Advocate supporters imploring them to speak against the bad legislation up for a vote. Not one voice was raised.

It is not a coincidence and Harry Reid wanted to get this message out: The Homosexual Lobby considers silence as surrender.

Instead. yesterday, in the quiet of a Thursday morning Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid simply makes a parliamentary trick of being overruled and then appealing the ruling of the parliamentarian. The "nuclear option" of ending debate in the U.S. Senate was instituted for the first time in American history.

As president of Public Advocate, I will never be silent even as the Republicans are silent and now are again silent as this new "silence" rule is imposed on them unilaterally -- what are they going to actually do besides get two minutes in the well of the Senate?

Public Advocate will seek to restore the rights of the minority to debate in the Senate. We hope that the current minority and current majority reconsider their elimination of the filibuster.

When real conservatives rise up in response to strong leadership and the Senate leadership in both parties changes then America and its traditions can be restored.